Report: The NSA Spies on Hard Drives Around the World

A Russian firm found a malware akin to Stuxnet, while former NSA employees confirmed the agency's involvement.

Reuters has an explosive report on NSA spying: Russian researchers have discovered an NSA-linked backdoor in hard drives around the world, enabling the agency to spy on computers across continents. Kaspersky Labs made the discovery, saying it has been found in computers in Middle Eastern countries like Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, as well as African countries like Mali and Algeria. China and Russia have also been affected.

The NSA is also going after a multitude of targets beyond terrorism-related spying, including nuclear researchers, financial institutions, and businesses. They didn't make a specific reference to the NSA, only saying the malware was "related to Stuxnet." However, a former NSA employee confirmed to Reuters that the agency is involved.

The code is rooted in the firmware of the hard drives. Manufacturers affected include Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba.

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